Dear Friends,
My update this month will be brief. Committee meetings for the 2022 Legislative Session have begun and we are excited to return to Tallahassee and fight to protect faith, family, freedom, opportunity and life itself.
On the frontlines in the fight for life, we are gaining allies and the state of Texas has brought the heartbeat bill back to the forefront. Senate President Simpson and House Speaker Sprowls have indicated that they will be willing to consider such a measure in this coming year. Your Senator sponsored this bill in 2018 (under different Senate leadership) and even though we had nearly half of the Senate signed on as co-sponsors, we were unable to get it across the finish line. We are very encouraged to see this gaining traction again this year and we remain hopeful that such a measure can be implemented in Florida.
Our Senate President continues to put his trust in our team and has expanded our responsibilities to include the full Appropriations Committee. This committee will hear all matters relating to Florida’s budget and we are excited to have the opportunity to be a part ensuring that our state remains fiscally responsible and financially stable. In addition, your Senator will sit on eight other committees and will once again be chairing the Committee on Ethics and Elections and the alternating chair of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
Last year, we passed fourteen out of thirty-three bill that we filed. Some legislators have filed as many as eighty bills in a single session and will get fewer than fourteen. This shows that we are not just throwing everything up on a wall to see what sticks, but rather we are focused on finding the truly good ideas and working hard to see that we are successful. Much of the credit belongs to my colleagues and Senate leadership that has supported us at every turn. It truly has been a team effort and we are very blessed to be a part of it.
None of that would be possible if the voters of District 12 had not sent me to do this work on their behalf. Remember, this is not my Senate seat, it is yours and I thank you for putting your trust in me and this team to do the job. “Nothing significant is ever done alone, but one person can make a big difference.”
Onward & Upward,
Senator Dennis Baxley
